Suraya Mohamed | March 11, 2025 Rapper and singer .idk.'s acronym stands for Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge, a stage name he's used since he released his first mixtapes back in 2014. Since then, he's produced a multitude of albums and singles, including his newest album, "BRAVADO + INTiMO." Popular songs from that project are included in this infectious set. He also performs "SUPERNOVA (i)," which includes an interpolation of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly."
With a wide range of talents and influences, the rapper's music reflects a broad range of his life experiences. "A lot of people don't know I started making music in prison," IDK told the audience. "… whatever song was in my head, if I knew it, I would sing it, and that would be, like, entertainment for a lot of the other inmates and stuff," he continued. "So really, I started off singing and I got into this rap thing because that was where my heart was."
He demonstrates his musical versatility throughout the set. Starting with "24," a rap hit from his 2019 album, "Is He Real?," this Tiny Desk arrangement is infused with the rhythms of go-go, the official music of Washington, D.C. It's also a reflection of his early years growing up in the suburbs of the city. An outspoken critic of the criminal justice system, .idk. ends his set with "Mr. Police," a thoughtful, jazzy song that reinforces one of the key principles that drives him: the idea of opposing constructs, and that ignorance and knowledge are in contrast.
SET LIST "24" "TiFFANY (B)" "DENiM (B)" "STiLL i (i)(DENiM DEMO)" "SUPERNOVA (i)" "SEE YOU AGAiN (B.i.)" "Mr. Police"
MUSICIANS .idk.: vocals Andrew Torgelson: saxophone, flute Blue Rondo: keys, piano Chris Hon: bass Joey Antico: drums Keith "Sauce" Robinson: percussion Henry Manning: vibraphone Cecily Bumbray: background vocals Tashera Robinson: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producer: Suraya Mohamed Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Mitra I Arthur Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodriguez Sanchez Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer Photographer: Alanté Serene Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Josh Newell Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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